I loved it. Want to hear my weird ramble about it? (EDIT: ramble, not rant, rant is the wrong word)
Okay so Dracula as a story is obviously a subconscious (or intentional, whatever) fear of The Other (i.e. Slavic cultures, "inferior" cultures) taking the wives of Western "civilized" men. Vampirism in general is a very sexually charged myth and is relatable to other sexually charged myths like succubus and incubus. But Dracula/Nosferatu in particular taps into this cuckolding fear that Western "civilized" men have about colonized or "inferior" cultures.
Obviously there's that scene in the movie where Ellen freaks out in front of Thomas and then says something like "You could never please me like he does". And I immediately said aloud "Whoa" in the theater, because that is straight on 100% cuckoldry right there. Sex was always a part of Dracula retellings but this cuckolding reference was like - right there. Clear as day.
But also recall the scene when Thomas first enters Transylvania and how out of place he is with the locals. They are all laughing and dancing and make fun of him. He is a "civilized" man but he is inept in the ways of the locals. Non-European/POC cultures are always treated and depicted as having sexual prowess compared to the chaste Christian Westerners. You see this in the subtlest of ways in any kind of romance (i.e. the "black best friend" who tells his white guy, the protagonist, some "friendly black advice" on how to get the girl).
The original Nosferatu unfortunately clearly referenced anti-Semitic tropes, in particular with Orlock's elongated nose and ears. The plague Orlock brings to Germany is unique to the Nosferatu retelling of Dracula, but it's awkward because it was a reference to Jews bringing a "plague" upon Germany.
The 2024 version reframes some of this to a more feminist approach. Ellen clearly has not had her needs met in such a chaste Christian society, hence she wished early on to find a true soulmate - even if her soulmate was as gruesome as Orlock. But that's exactly the fear Western "civilized" men have about other non-Western cultures. You could say it's also a critique on women seeing people for who they are but men focus on appearances and are like "You want HIM?" Willem Dafoe says to Ellen that in "heathen times" she would have been a high priestess, which is ironic for the male characters because at the time Western civilization was seen as "peak" but Dafoe is clearly pointing out that pagan cultures in the past treated women differently, notably with more reverence. Whereas in the modern world, her ability is misunderstood and treated as a curse. This puts a spin on the trope of the Other - implying that if Ellen had lived in Transylvanian culture she would not have had to die. If you recall the scene where Thomas witnesses the Roma find the grave of a vampire, they use a virgin on a white horse to find its grave.
Okay so Dracula as a story is obviously a subconscious (or intentional, whatever) fear of The Other (i.e. Slavic cultures, "inferior" cultures) taking the wives of Western "civilized" men. Vampirism in general is a very sexually charged myth and is relatable to other sexually charged myths like succubus and incubus. But Dracula/Nosferatu in particular taps into this cuckolding fear that Western "civilized" men have about colonized or "inferior" cultures.
Obviously there's that scene in the movie where Ellen freaks out in front of Thomas and then says something like "You could never please me like he does". And I immediately said aloud "Whoa" in the theater, because that is straight on 100% cuckoldry right there. Sex was always a part of Dracula retellings but this cuckolding reference was like - right there. Clear as day.
But also recall the scene when Thomas first enters Transylvania and how out of place he is with the locals. They are all laughing and dancing and make fun of him. He is a "civilized" man but he is inept in the ways of the locals. Non-European/POC cultures are always treated and depicted as having sexual prowess compared to the chaste Christian Westerners. You see this in the subtlest of ways in any kind of romance (i.e. the "black best friend" who tells his white guy, the protagonist, some "friendly black advice" on how to get the girl).
The original Nosferatu unfortunately clearly referenced anti-Semitic tropes, in particular with Orlock's elongated nose and ears. The plague Orlock brings to Germany is unique to the Nosferatu retelling of Dracula, but it's awkward because it was a reference to Jews bringing a "plague" upon Germany.
The 2024 version reframes some of this to a more feminist approach. Ellen clearly has not had her needs met in such a chaste Christian society, hence she wished early on to find a true soulmate - even if her soulmate was as gruesome as Orlock. But that's exactly the fear Western "civilized" men have about other non-Western cultures. You could say it's also a critique on women seeing people for who they are but men focus on appearances and are like "You want HIM?" Willem Dafoe says to Ellen that in "heathen times" she would have been a high priestess, which is ironic for the male characters because at the time Western civilization was seen as "peak" but Dafoe is clearly pointing out that pagan cultures in the past treated women differently, notably with more reverence. Whereas in the modern world, her ability is misunderstood and treated as a curse. This puts a spin on the trope of the Other - implying that if Ellen had lived in Transylvanian culture she would not have had to die. If you recall the scene where Thomas witnesses the Roma find the grave of a vampire, they use a virgin on a white horse to find its grave.